Archive for July, 2008

Never thought I’d see this, but I suppose I’m not surprised! A new Japanese Sci-fi movie has hair extensions at the center of its twisted plot. Story follows two sets of characters who each have contact with the hair – one who knows where it comes from, and the other ignorant of its source.

Here’s the synopsis:

HAIR EXTENSIONS (Ekusute a.k.a. EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS, 2007)35mm/108 min./Color/1:85.1 Flat/Japanese language, English subtitles/Unrated
Japanese customs agents discover a huge amount of human hair along with the bald corpse of a young girl. The dead girl’s hair begins to grow, which arouses the curiosity of Yamazaki (Ren Osugi of AUDITION, CURE, and ZEBRAMAN), a mortuary employee with a hair fetish. Now a mad hair-peddler with an endless stock of locks, Yamazaki hocks his wares to salons to be used for hair extensions.

Meanwhile, Yuko (Chiaki Kuriyama of KILL BILL Vol. 1 and BATTLE ROYALE), an up-and-coming hair stylist at the Gilles De Rais hair salon, is entrusted with the care of her timid and frightened niece Mami (Miku Sato) whose body bares the signs of abuse. It’s not long before death surrounds them and their extension-wearing clientele. The hair seems to have a life of its own, along with lethal and vengeful intentions. Now Yuko and Mami must untangle the mystery before more deaths occur. Directed by Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB), HAIR EXTENSIONS will make your hair stand on end!

EXTE: Hair Extensions will be showing at select theaters in cool cities crazy enough to showcase such a nutty flick! Check out the film’s website (in Japanese) here: http://www.exte-movie.jp/

1) Can we talk? Absolutely be sure to have a sit-down, thorough consultation BEFORE you show up for your hair appointment. It’s a real change in your day to day hair care, and it is a lengthy process. You should budget 45 minutes in which to learn from your stylist (or explain if you are the stylist) how the extensions will under the hair, how the hair will be cut and styled, how it will feel and certainly long term maintenance.

2) Style: After your consultation, or during, make certain your stylist/operator knows how you will style your hair from day to day so they can fit the extensions to suit your needs. If this is not taken in to account, your styling of their extension installation could be unnatural and unflattering.

3) Put your head to bed: Hair extensions can go wonky overnight so it is good practice to put it up at night.

5) Match, don’t Mix: Have your stylist help you match up the texture of the extension (beyond curly/straight) with your own hair, and not just the color, as this will make it easier to style down the road.

*Also, it’s always a good idea to have the stylist double check that your hair is actually the type you ordered – we’ve heard stories of people having “straight” hair put in and then upon first wash it turns out it’s actually curly hair that’s been straightened! Not good.

6) There’s the rub: Shampooing is critical for hair sheen, and overall health (and hygene!) but be sure to take it easy on those dangling strands. Don’t over-rub, or rub too intensely as you can damage or knot the extensions. Try massaging from top to bottom like you might a horses tail. We promise you can still have the herbal essence experience with extensions, just take it easy.

7) Oil! Be sure your products aren’t too oily, as this can cause extensions to slip. Conditioner is included in the list, and be sure to condition from the middle of the extension down to the ends, not at the root.

8) Gimme a Break! Be sure to give your scalp and your hair a rest between extensions. There are long term risks to using extensions too often without appropriate recuperating periods. We suggest a 3-6 month extension free hiatus to ensure hair strength and health. It’s always a good idea to have your scalp treated during that resting period too – all things in moderation right?

Although the long answer is a bit more complicated. At the end of the day, it’s all about where you get your hair, or rather, where your hair reseller get’s their hair, and what they guarantee. Make no mistake however, it’s a hot topic, and one that British pop star Jamelia has tackled in the upcoming BBC documentary Whose Hair Is It Anyway?, which examines the origins of hair used for extensions in the UK.

At Donna Bella, our hair is always 100% real human hair, and is authentic Indian Remy. While the documentary at first may seem critical of this practice of purchasing hair from Indian temple high priests who shave their patron’s heads, there is a glossy finish on the practice as these priests then take all the earnings and put it back into the temple community to feed and clothe the needy.

Regardless of what brand you use, we encourage all stylists and consumers to do their homework and learn where their manufacturer of choice acquires their hair. If they don’t know, demand that they find out and tell them you’ll take your business elsewhere. Like any hot commodity, hair is both ethically and unethically obtained, which is highlighted in the upcoming documentary.

Wow, just when you thought you’d heard it all – someone sells a used celebrity hair extension on eBay!!

According to the AFP of Berlin, A blonde hair extension that British supermodel Kate Moss reputedly lost in Berlin is being auctioned on eBay in an effort to raise money for an anti-drug charity.

The Berliner Zeitung newspaper said Thursday “Moss shed the hairpiece while trying to duck paparazzi as she returned to the plush Hotel Adlon after a night out in the German capital earlier this month.”

The “lucky” Photographer, John Farr, told newspapers that he had picked it up and has posted it on eBay with funds to be donated to a German anti-drug charity Keine Macht den Drogen (No Power to Drugs).

“I hope Kate doesn’t mind. I did not have time to ask her because she was in quite a hurry,” Farr told the newspaper.

ABOUT HAIRLINE

At Hairline, we aspire to be the go-to source for everything hair extensions. From hairstyles to extension hair care, it is our goal to cover every strand of our bonus hair—be they long-term or clip-in. Join us as we explore the good, the bad, and the “why didn’t I think of that” and feel free to experiment right along with us.